Delicious Meals to Feed Us Difficult Dinner Guests

I just finished reading this post on a favorite website, www.thekitchn.com.  I thought I'd include the link for  ideas and future reference.  I did note the use of sesame in several of the dishes, something to just work around.  Well put, "To the engaged cook, however, these guests and challenges are not moments of exasperation — they are inspiration and a challenge to create something delicious in constrained circumstances."


http://www.thekitchn.com/the-most-difficult-dinner-guest-ever-and-5-delicious-meals-to-feed-them-169102

Passover Inspired Anytime Carrot Coconut Macaroons

ready to eat and to take on the go

This is a good time of year to post my favorite coconut macaroon recipe.  This is my first post from our new home in Houston.  I have a lot of thoughts and things to share about major moves with multiple food allergies, but that's for another post. The macaroon recipe is from the April 2010, Canadian Family magazine.  I love these! They are delicious and have just the right balance of sweetness and flavor, I contribute this to the grated carrots and ginger with maple syrup and apple juice and no added sugar. This recipe is vegan and nut-free (coconut is ok for us) but not necessarily kosher for passover.  This is my go-to recipe for macaroons without eggs.  I froze a dozen, they defrost nicely.  It is tricky shopping for coconut oil without worrying about sesame and tree-nut contamination.  I use Artisana coconut oil, http://www.artisanafoods.com/, but please check the label and determine if it is safe for your family. There is a great article on reading labels for allergy information at: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/06/consumers-often-ignore-food-allergy-labels/
I am going to make coconut butter with my Thermomix for the next batch and see how these turn out.  But first I have to get a better understanding of the difference between coconut butter and oil. For Thermomix coconut butter instructions, please visit: 
http://www.superkitchenmachine.com/2011/11949/make-coconut-butter-thermomi.html


 What you need:
1 cup  grated raw carrots (one large carrot)
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup coconut oil (I use Artisana brand)
2 cups coconut flakes (I use Let's Do Organic brand, it's unsweetened and contains no sulphites:http://www.edwardandsons.com/ldo_shop_coconut.itml)
2/3 cup whole wheat flour (I suppose you could play around with types of flour according to allergy restrictions)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp maple syrup (Oh how I miss buying giant bottles locally from St. Lawrence market on Saturday mornings!)


What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Line cookie sheet with silicone baking mat
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
Roll into approximately 24 balls with the help of your children
Transfer to rack to cool, but I skip this part 
I then listen to my toddler scream as he always does when baking: "no oven!" which means he wants to eat them right away


For original recipe, please visit: http://www.canadianfamily.ca/recipe/carrot-coconut-macaroons/